The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-11
THE UNMASKED SHARPER.
The Stake Played for by Father
and Son.
by EDoUARD sIEBECKER.

They were discussing inc Ihtest
scandal. A young man of good con-
nections had been ANONYMOUSLY ex-
PEELED from a club. Playing in collus-
ion with n professional gambler, he had
cheated at cards, and in a few months
had won considerable sum.
"And has he killed HIMSELF" asked
someone.
BAH replied another. Do men
kill themselves for so little nowadaysP
It was different in the good old times. "
"In the good old times, as you call
them" said old General Roy, 'those
who adopted the card sharper pro-
lession killed themselves no more than
those of the present time. A few ex-
ceptions there may have been among
10 were detected at the outset.
81, -, first attempt succeeded, they
lid az they do to-day, they quickly
accustomed themselves to their degra-
lation. All! it is so easy. When
respect for his own good name will not
restrain a man at the first attempt, 1t is
entirely dead within him, and even n
scandal will not revive it. BY the way,
can tell you of a curious case in point,
where a hero blew out his brains, but
it was not suicide. No, strange as it
may sound, il was not suicide. Listen:
ut was some so years ago. The
press of that time was not the terrible
gossip that it is to-day, and sensational
news never passed certain bounds.
There were not fewer scandals, but the
scandals were less known. In fact, |
think there were rather more. Not
that we are more vrtuous, but the fear
of publicity is certainly a great check.
Among the elegant young fellows,
the gilded youth of those days, who
furnished the greater part of the scan
dalous gossip by their ecccntricites
and duels, was young gentleman at
tached to the kings household. l
shall call him the Vicomte Roland. The
name was not an illustrious one; in
fact the Vicomte was the fruit of one of
those mixed marriages introduced by
Napoleon |. General Comte Roland,
whose heavy cavalry charges are
matters of history, had married the
daugtcr of the Marquis de Barnsac, a
member of one of the wealthiest and
most powerful families of France. His
son was then about rs years of age.
He had not the robust, plebeian beauty
of his father, who had been one of the
handsomest men in the army. He was
rather the delicate and distinguished
grace of his mother. whose idol
he was. Having loved her husband
passionately, the countess was now
wrapped up in her son.
''rhe extravagant life led by the son
had caused quarrel between the par
ents The countess lived in the
Bransac Hotel, one of the finest in the
Fauburg Saint-Germain, while the
general, secudng himself in little
chateau in the forest of Senart, passed
his time in the pleasures of the chase.
| They say he had mistreated his wife,
but il was utterly untrue. The fact is
that there had been between the gener-
nj and his wife two terrible scenes.
1.-The first was caused by an idea
which took possession of the countess.
She found this name Roland too
| plebeian for her son, and tormented
her husband to obtain the kings au-
thorily to add to it that of DeBransac.
The general energetically refused
"My name has sufliced for me, said
he-for me who has made it famous.
1t will do for this fine gentleman, my
son. If he does not find it brilliant
enough let him try to add to its lustre.
THE second scene was brought about
by the vicomte abducting a ballet dan
Ger. and by duel and a debt which were
the consequences of this little affair.
The general brought the son before his
mother and roughly reproved him for
his folly. Instead of supporting her
husband the countess made excuses for
her son. Women always are indulgeni
towards the man in love scrape.
LAS the general told his son that his
fortune was not sufficient to maintain
such scandalous absurdities, the count
ess unhappily interjected:
"Oh, the fortune of the DE Bran
sacs will amply suffice for him.
she had not calculated the effect OF